AfriGeneas Military Research Forum Archive

To Mr. Smith-my apologies, and I'm sure you will have the apologies of others as well. There was NEVER any intent to glorify or elevate a few above the rest. The references to the "four" are simply in answer to Malin's continued vitriol. There have been many fine postings here, and I for one am delighted to see them, and to learn from them. It is one of the reasons I have asked, on more than one occassion for input and assistance from others. None of us can do singly a tenth of what we can do collectively.

The rub comes, since I am unable to refer directly to the qualifications of people I don't know-it was not meant to omit anyone. The Malin postings have been primarily aimed at a few-in fact some of us were directly told not to respond to his/her postings. I am not normally a hostile person, and I apologice profusely to anyone my remarks have offended, beyond the person they were directed at. I do not retract those.

I am a historian. I am not perfect, but I have a very strong dedication to perpetuating the truth, to the best of my abilities and research. Sometimes that truth is not what I would necessarily choose it to be, but I have to relate what I find. A consistent frustration has been to see statements repeated and repeated without rechecking primary sources. That leads to myths that don't help anyone. People who knowingly perpetuate such errors to their own benefit-I quite simply have absolutely no patience for.

This forum has been unfortunate enough recently to be targeted by two such people. One, quite well known to many of us, came in only briefly and left. The other has not. For my part in the ensuing chaos, I truly apologize to those who are here only for the best of reasons.